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| Froome Is One Stage Away From Tour Victory | Froome Is One Stage Away From Tour Victory |
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| ANNECY-SEMNOZ, France — He did not win the stage, but he came close enough to secure the race. | ANNECY-SEMNOZ, France — He did not win the stage, but he came close enough to secure the race. |
| On the next-to-last stage of the Tour de France, Chris Froome of Sky Procycling maintained a commanding lead over his challengers Saturday, all but assuring that he will win the 100th Tour when it finishes in Paris on Sunday. He would become the second British rider in succession, and the second one ever, to win cycling’s premier race. | |
| Froome was third on the mountaintop finish in this ski resort town, retaining a lead of more than five minutes over Nairo Quintana of Movistar, who won the 125-kilometer stage (about 78 miles) and moved into second place past Alberto Contador of Team Saxo-Tinkoff. | Froome was third on the mountaintop finish in this ski resort town, retaining a lead of more than five minutes over Nairo Quintana of Movistar, who won the 125-kilometer stage (about 78 miles) and moved into second place past Alberto Contador of Team Saxo-Tinkoff. |
| Froome, 28, who has worn the leader’s yellow jersey since Stage 8, finished second in last year’s tour to his teammate Bradley Wiggins. Saturday’s stage confirmed the dominance Froome has maintained throughout the year, when he won all but one of the stage races he entered and three stages on this Tour. This would be his first Grand Tour victory. | |
| His stellar year was foretold by his performance in the Tour last year, when many people thought he was stronger than Wiggins. Yet just a few years ago, when riders like Contador and Cadel Evans — whom he crushed this year — were dominating the sport, Froome was a virtual unknown. | His stellar year was foretold by his performance in the Tour last year, when many people thought he was stronger than Wiggins. Yet just a few years ago, when riders like Contador and Cadel Evans — whom he crushed this year — were dominating the sport, Froome was a virtual unknown. |
| Froome was born and reared in Kenya, learning to ride in the hills around Nairobi. He continued racing in secondary school in South Africa and in Britain, where he qualified as a citizen as the son and grandson of Britons. He rode his first Tour in 2009 at the relatively advanced age of 24. | |
| Froome’s ascent through the cycling world was slowed in part by a bout with bilharzia, a parasitic infection he contracted during a trip back to Africa in 2010. The parasite remains in his system, causing abdominal pain and diarrhea when it flares and requiring him periodically to take medication. Froome said recently that he was not taking the medication during this Tour. | Froome’s ascent through the cycling world was slowed in part by a bout with bilharzia, a parasitic infection he contracted during a trip back to Africa in 2010. The parasite remains in his system, causing abdominal pain and diarrhea when it flares and requiring him periodically to take medication. Froome said recently that he was not taking the medication during this Tour. |
| He put his stamp on the race in Stage 8, when he accelerated away from Contador and then Quintana on the finish of Ax 3 Domaines in the Pyrenees. He did the same on Mont Ventoux in Stage 15, a bruising 13-mile climb. | He put his stamp on the race in Stage 8, when he accelerated away from Contador and then Quintana on the finish of Ax 3 Domaines in the Pyrenees. He did the same on Mont Ventoux in Stage 15, a bruising 13-mile climb. |
| Yet Froome was equally impressive in the individual time trials, finishing second by 12 seconds to the world champion in the event, Tony Martin of Omega Pharma-Quick Step, then winning a shorter mountainous trial in the Alps on Stage 17. | Yet Froome was equally impressive in the individual time trials, finishing second by 12 seconds to the world champion in the event, Tony Martin of Omega Pharma-Quick Step, then winning a shorter mountainous trial in the Alps on Stage 17. |
| Tall and gangly, Froome is not a thing of beauty on the bike. His long arms flap at the sides and his face frequently contorts with effort — even when he is punishing his more stony-faced rivals. | Tall and gangly, Froome is not a thing of beauty on the bike. His long arms flap at the sides and his face frequently contorts with effort — even when he is punishing his more stony-faced rivals. |
| “He isn’t a stylish and smooth rider like other Tour winners,” said Jonathan Vaughters, chief executive of the Garmin-Sharp team. “But that’s sort of the same with the Kenyan marathoners. They don’t always look efficient. But they are. And they win all the time.” | |
| If he has a vulnerability, other riders say, it lies in his bike handling in crowds and on descents. He nearly crashed into Contador during a tricky descent into Gap on Stage 16. But during a possibly worse downhill between dual ascents of Alpe d’Huez on Stage 18, his team kept him safe near the front of the peloton. | If he has a vulnerability, other riders say, it lies in his bike handling in crowds and on descents. He nearly crashed into Contador during a tricky descent into Gap on Stage 16. But during a possibly worse downhill between dual ascents of Alpe d’Huez on Stage 18, his team kept him safe near the front of the peloton. |
| Because the Tour is so arduous and long — 2,115 miles over 21 stages — winning a handful of stages is not enough to make an overall winner. Wearing the leader’s yellow jersey into Paris also requires doing just well enough on just about every stage. To Vaughters, Froome showed that ability on Stage 9: his teammates dropped after a series of accelerations by rival teams, yet Froome stayed near the front alone and did not lose time at the finish. | Because the Tour is so arduous and long — 2,115 miles over 21 stages — winning a handful of stages is not enough to make an overall winner. Wearing the leader’s yellow jersey into Paris also requires doing just well enough on just about every stage. To Vaughters, Froome showed that ability on Stage 9: his teammates dropped after a series of accelerations by rival teams, yet Froome stayed near the front alone and did not lose time at the finish. |
| “To me, that was perhaps the most impressive day for him,” Vaughters said. “He didn’t have any teammates and was isolated. But he stayed calm and reacted in a way that no one was able to take advantage of.” | “To me, that was perhaps the most impressive day for him,” Vaughters said. “He didn’t have any teammates and was isolated. But he stayed calm and reacted in a way that no one was able to take advantage of.” |
| His control of the race has caused some antidoping watchdogs and journalists to raise the possibility that he might be using performance-enhancing substances. Froome has repeatedly denied the suggestion, but largely because he has been so much stronger than the pack, the questions persist. | His control of the race has caused some antidoping watchdogs and journalists to raise the possibility that he might be using performance-enhancing substances. Froome has repeatedly denied the suggestion, but largely because he has been so much stronger than the pack, the questions persist. |
| In an attempt to quiet those questions, Sky released drug test results and power output measurements from several of Froome’s races in recent years to a French sports newspaper and a sports scientist. They concluded that Froome’s performances were possible for an athlete who was not doping. | In an attempt to quiet those questions, Sky released drug test results and power output measurements from several of Froome’s races in recent years to a French sports newspaper and a sports scientist. They concluded that Froome’s performances were possible for an athlete who was not doping. |
| With the same demeanor he showed on Stage 9, Froome has handled questions about doping with quiet aplomb. Soft-spoken and thoughtful in news conferences, he is not one for showing the bravado of a Lance Armstrong or the bluntness of a Wiggins. His style may have helped his credibility, though questions about him remain in antidoping circles. | With the same demeanor he showed on Stage 9, Froome has handled questions about doping with quiet aplomb. Soft-spoken and thoughtful in news conferences, he is not one for showing the bravado of a Lance Armstrong or the bluntness of a Wiggins. His style may have helped his credibility, though questions about him remain in antidoping circles. |
| Froome has also been generous in praising his teammates, particularly Richie Porte, a rider from the Australian state of Tasmania who has been faithfully at Froome’s side at almost every crucial point of the race, guiding him through danger and leading him up backbreaking climbs. Porte’s role became even more important when Edvald Boasson Hagen, a powerful rider from Norway, withdrew from the race after a crash on Stage 12. | |
| Porte could be a leader on another team and was considered a potential podium finisher this year behind Froome. But he has sacrificed himself to keep Froome safe. And Froome has done his best to pay him back in kind words. | Porte could be a leader on another team and was considered a potential podium finisher this year behind Froome. But he has sacrificed himself to keep Froome safe. And Froome has done his best to pay him back in kind words. |
| “Personally, I think he’s the second-best G.C. rider in this race,” Froome said after Stage 17, using the initials for general category riders. “If he had the opportunity to ride solely for himself at the Tour de France, he’d certainly be on the podium.” | |
| That could well happen next year, when Froome, barring injury or illness, would probably return as the favorite to repeat. Yet with strong young riders like Quintana coming up the ranks, and with veterans like Contador not likely to fade away quickly, it would be naïve to suggest Froome’s dominance this year presages the beginning of a long run of Grand Tour victories. | That could well happen next year, when Froome, barring injury or illness, would probably return as the favorite to repeat. Yet with strong young riders like Quintana coming up the ranks, and with veterans like Contador not likely to fade away quickly, it would be naïve to suggest Froome’s dominance this year presages the beginning of a long run of Grand Tour victories. |
| “Bike racing is a funny world,” Vaughters said. “Sometimes you get winners who are one-offs. And sometimes you get guys who are dominant year and years. Which one he’ll be, I just don’t know.” | “Bike racing is a funny world,” Vaughters said. “Sometimes you get winners who are one-offs. And sometimes you get guys who are dominant year and years. Which one he’ll be, I just don’t know.” |